Switch operating attachment



July 28, 1964 w j J. w. Ec 3,142,744

' I SWITCH OPERATING ATTACHMENT Filed NW. 30, 1962 United States Patent 3,142,744 SWITCH OPERATING ATTACHMENT James W. Keck, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan (Southern Airport, Box 99, APO 323, Postmaster, San Francisco, Calif.) Filed Nov. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 241,362

6 Claims. (Cl. 200-172) This invention relates to a novel extension for toggle switch handles, especially but not exclusively for use by children too small to reach up to normally placed switches, such as wall-mounted light switches.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a more practical, eflicient, and more easily used device of the kind indicated, which is normally spring-pressed to an out-of-the-way position close to the wall, and is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly for moving a toggle switch handle to closed and open positions.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a device of the character indicated above, of simpler and more reliable spring jaw means for quickly and easily securing the device to a toggle switch handle, without the use of screws or other fasteners, and without the use of tools.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wall toggle switch, showing a device of the invention secured to the handle of the switch and in its normal pendant position;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged and fragmentary vertical transverse section taken through the mounting head of the device;

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral generally designates a conventional toggle switch, such as a conventional light switch, having a wall plate 12, secured to a wall, and having a vertical slot 14, throughwhich a vertically swingable operating lever or handle 16 extends. The handle 16 is substantially of elongated rectangular cross section, and has substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces 18 and 20, respectively, and an outer end 22.

The illustrated device, generally designated 24, comprises a mounting head 26, preferably in the form of an elongated block of plastic material and of rectangular cross section. The head 26 has an arcuate outer end 28, and a sharply tapered inner end which provides inwardly convergent upper and lower clearance surfaces 30 and 32, respectively, relative to the wall plate 12, when the head 26 is in its final elevated and depressed positions, as indicated in FIGURE 2.

A rectangular counterbore 34 extends inwardly from the inner end of the head 26, has a fiat vertical bottom 36, parallel upper and lower horizontal walls 38, and retaining ribs 4%) extending laterally inwardly from the walls 38, at their inward ends. A generally U-shaped flat spring 42 is engaged endwise in the counterbore 34 with its cross member 44 close to the counterbore bottom 36 and its legs 46 extending along the walls 38.

The cross member 44 of the spring 42 is of greater vertical dimension than that of the height of the counterbore 34, so that when the spring 42 is forcibly inserted endwise into the counterbore, the cross member 44 is forcibly bowed away from the bottom 36, as shown in FIGURE 4. The corners 48 of the spring, where its legs 46 join its cross member 44, are forced into the corners 50, at the meeting of the counterbore bottom 36 and its upper and lower walls, where the corners 48 seat in V-shaped rigid metal guides 52 whose ends 53 are engaged in recesses 55 in the counterbore sidewalls. The guides 52 serve as seats for the spring 42 and as means for transferring tension of the legs 46 toward each other, as the head 26 is forced onto the switch handle 16, and as the head is moved upwardly or downwardly in operating the switch, when installed thereon.

The spring legs 46, which serve as spring jaws for gripping the upper and lower surfaces of the switch handle 16, are longer than the distances between the guides 52 and the ribs 40 and longitudinally bowed toward each other, so that when the spring 62 is inserted into the counterbore 34, the free ends 54 of the jaws 46 snap behind the ribs 46, and pins 41 extending laterally from the free ends of the jaws, snap into recesses 43, provided in the sidewalls of the counterbore 34, and the spring is held securely in place, with the jaws tensioned and bowed away from the upper and lower walls of the counterbore, and are spaced from each other at a distance les than the cross section of the switch handle 16. The jaws 46 are formed with longitudinally spaced gripping teeth or corrugations 56, so that when the head 26 is engaged endwise on the handle 16, the jaws are forcibly spread away from each other and their tension increased, so that the teeth 56 bite into and hold the handle secure in the head 26.

The mounting head 26 further comprises a vertical longitudinal slot 58, which opens to-the underside 66 of the head, and extends longitudinally outwardly from about the mid-length point of the head, and defines side walls 62, an inner end wall 64, which slants longitudinally inwardly and downwardly to the underside 60, and an arcuate and abbreviated outer end wall 66, which terminates, as indicated at 68, on a level spaced above the underside. The terminal 68 serves as a stop for a normally pendant handle '70, when the handle is swung upwardly.

The handle 76 is in the form of a flat bar, of a length to extend far enough downwardly from the switch handle 16 to be within the reach of small children. The handle 76 is upwardly tapered from a rounded lower end 72, to a rounded upper end 74. A headed pivot pin 76 is secured through the side walls 62 of the slot 58 and thereacross, and the upper end of the handle is concentrically journaled on the pin, between the side walls, and is spaced from one of the side walls 62, as shown in FIGURE 5.

A coil spring 78, for yieldably returning the handle 70 close to the wall, when released after operation of the switch 10, is circumposed on the pivot pin 76 between the handle and one of the slit side walls 62. The spring 78 has an inwardly and downwardly extending arm 80 which is engaged behind a lateral lug 82, positioned at the inner edge of the handle 70, below the spring 78, and an outwardly and upwardly bowed arm 84 which conformably engages the inner surface of the arcuate end wall 66 of the slot 58.

In operation, in order to move the toggle switch handle 16 upwardly, from depressed closed position, indicated in FIGURE 2, to elevated open position, the handle 70 is grasped and is pushed upwardly, with the handle 70 in either its close-to-the-wall position or with the handle in an outwardly and upwardly swung position, limited by the stop terminal 68, far enough to click-over the J9 switch handle 16. Reversing this operation depresses the switch handle to switch-closing position.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contempled as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a toggle switch handle movable to closed and open positions, a head secured on the handle, a normally pendant operating handle pivoted to the head, and spring means acting between the head and the operating handle biasing the operating handle toward the switch, said head having a counterbore opening to its inner end which is engaged on the switch handle, and switch handle retaining means within the counterbore, comprising opposed spring jaws, said jaws having lateral pins which are engaged in recesses provided in the sidewalls of the counterbore.

2. In combination, a toggle switch handle movable to closed and open positions, a head secured on the handle, a normally pendant operating handle pivoted to the head, and spring means acting between the head and the operating handle biasing the operating handle toward the switch, said head having a counterbore opening to its inner end which is engaged on the switch handle, and switch handle retaining means within the counterbore, comprising a U- shaped spring having a cross member and spacer opposed jaws, said counterbore having a bottom and parallel upper and lower walls, said cross member being engaged with the counterbore bottom and said jaws with said upper and lower walls, said jaws being bowed toward each other and away from said upper and lower walls and trictionally engaged with the upper and lower surfaces of the switch handle, said jaws having free inner ends, and said upper and lower walls of the counterbore having outstanding ribs behind which said free ends are engaged, said jaws having laternal pins at their free ends engaged in recesses provided in the sidewalls of the counterbore.

3. In combination, a toggle switch handle movable to closed and open positions, a head secured on the handle, a normally pendant operating handle pivoted to the head, and spring means acting between the head and the operating handle biasing the operating handle toward the switch, said head having a counterbore opening to its inner end which is engaged on the switch handle, and switch handle retaining means within the counterbore comprising a U-shaped spring having a cross member and spaced opposed jaws, said counterbore having a bottom and parallel upper and lower walls, said cross member being engaged with the counterbore bottom and said jaws with said upper and lower walls, said jaws being bowed toward each other and away from said upper and lower walls and frictionally engaged with the upper and lower surfaces of the switch handle, said cross member being taller than the height of the counterbore and bowed under tension away from the counterbore bottom, and facing V-shaped guides extending horizontally across the counterbore in the corners between the bottom and the upper and lower walls of the counterbore, the corners at the meetings of the spring jaws with its cross member being seated in said guides, the sidewalls of the counterbore having recesses in which related ends of the guides are engaged.

4. In combination, a toggle switch handle movable to closed and open positions, a head secured on the handle, a normally pendant operating; handle pivoted to the head, and spring means acting between the head and the operating handle biasing the operating handle toward the switch, said head having a counterbore opening to its inner end which is engaged on the switch handle, and switch handle retaining means within the counterbore, said head being formed with a longitudinal slot opening to its underside and to its outer end, said slot defining an inner end wall, side walls, and an outer end wall, a pivot pin extending between said side walls and spaced from the ends of the slot, said operating handle comprising an elongated bar having an upper end centrally pivoted on the pivot pin between the side walls of the slot.

5. In combination, a toggle switch handle movable to closed and open positions, a head secured on the handle, a normally pendant operating handle pivoted to the head, and spring means acting between the head and the operating handle biasing the operating handle toward the switch, said head having a counterbore opening to its inner end which is engaged on the switch handle, and switch handle.

retaining means within the counterbore, said head being formed with a longitudinal slot opening to its underside and to its outer end, said slot defining an inner end wall, side walls, and an outer end wall, a pivot pin extending between said side walls and spaced from the ends of the slot, said operating handle comprising an elongated bar having an upper end centrally pivoted on the pivot pin between the side walls of the slot, said spring means comprising a coil spring circumposed on the pivot pin and having an outwardly extending arm engaged with the outer end walls of the slot, and an inwardly and downwardly extending arm engaged with the operating handle.

6. In combination, a toggle switch handle movable to closed and open positions, a head secured on the handle, a normally pendant operating handle pivoted to the head, and spring means acting between the head and the operating handle biasing the operating handle'toward the switch, said head having a counterbore opening to its inner end which is engaged on the switch handle, and switch handle retaining means within the counterbore, said head being formed with a longitudinal slot opening to its underside and to its outer end, said slot defining an inner end wall, side walls, and an outer end wall, a pivot pin extending between said side walls and spaced from the ends of the slot, said operating handle comprising. an elongated bar having an upper end centrally pivoted on the pivot pin between the side Walls of the slot, said spring means comprising a coil spring circumposed on the pivot pin and having an outwardly extending arm engaged with the outer end walls of the slot, and an inwardly and downwardly extending arm engaged with the operating handle, said coil spring being positioned between the operating handle and one side wall of the slot, said operating handle having a lateral lug behind-which the inwardly extending arm of the coil spring is engaged.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,909,353 Hughes et al May 16, 1933 2,210,280 Christensen Aug. 6, 1940 2,620,209 Flora Dec. 2, 1952 2,691,708 Drobney et a1 Oct. 12, 1954 2,719,898 Allen Oct. 4, 1955 

1. IN COMBINATION, A TOGGLE SWITCH HANDLE MOVABLE TO CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS, A HEAD SECURED ON THE HANDLE, A NORMALLY PENDANT OPERATING HANDLE PIVOTED TO THE HEAD, AND SPRING MEANS ACTING BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE OPERATING HANDLE BIASING THE OPERATING HANDLE TOWARD THE SWITCH, SAID HEAD HAVING A COUNTERBORE OPENING TO ITS INNER END WHICH IS ENGAGED ON THE SWITCH HANDLE, AND SWITCH HANDLE RETAINING MEANS WITHIN THE COUNTERBORE, COMPRISING OPPOSED SPRING JAWS, SAID JAWS HAVING LATERAL PINS WHICH ARE ENGAGED IN RECESSES PROVIDED IN THE SIDEWALLS OF THE COUNTERBORE. 